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If you buy premium make up, why crimp on the tools?

I am a complete slave to high end make up brushes- not because of the hefty price tag (!) but simply because they are a valuable investment. my first mac brush has lasted me 6 years with absoloutely no problems with bristles, shedding, decreasing softness of hairs etc. For this reason, I continue to purchase Mac brushes and recently purchased this. when i first saw this I was a bit confused as to why you'd need this brush- but then when I stated defining my socket area a bit- this brush came in extremely handy. It is excellent for depositing colour and then blending and erasing all harshness of colour- an absoloute must have. We have all seen people with make up so harsh it looks like they scratched it on!- but with this brush there really isn't a chance! It is extremely soft and fluffy and trust me- will last forever! It is a bit pricey- but then I always tell people, would you rather keep spending money replacing cheaper, inferior quality brushes or spend once and have it last forever?! Plus, with Mac you can be certain the brushes are of premium quality and really help better application of make up- not just on eyes but on the face. I would recomment this without a doubt for depositing colour and also for blending harsh line all over the face- one of the bestest brushes out there!

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...but it's a nice enough brush to own regardless!

The #225 Large Tapered Blending brush was the last MAC brush I bought. I always considered purchasing it, but it's very large and by looking at it I could never really see many ways of using it. However, it eventually became the only eye brush I didn't own and so one day I bought it for the sole reason of completing my collection (silly, I know!) and I'm glad I did since I have since discovered plenty of ways to use it.

The shape of this brush is just as the picture above shows. Long and tapered with a fluffed, rounded tip. It is made from cruelty free pony hair and is soft and flexible, yet slightly firm at the same time. The bristles measure just under 25mm at the longest point by 15mm or so at the widest.It retails for just under £25.00 and is no longer available online or from MAC Counters within department stores, but can be purchased in Freestanding or Pro stores. Looked after correctly, it will last you years and years.

~ Firstly, although it is marketed as an eyeshadow brush, as it is quite large it has many other uses. I like to use it to apply lighter, water based concealers to the under eye area. By placing three or four dots of product under each eye with clean fingertips then blending in small circles using the #225, a soft, diffused effect is easily attained. It wont work so well with 'harder', creamier concealers however.

~ It also works well to apply powder under the eyes to set concealer. Whilst some larger, firmer brushes can move and dislodge concealer, the size and shape of this one means it only applies a light layer - which will also discourage creasing or settling into fine lines.

~ I sometimes use this to apply my face powder. Although it seems tiny - it works! If I'm wearing a creamier, dewy or satin finish foundation, larger brushes sometimes apply too much powder which creates a too-matte finish. Using this brush I can apply a small amount of powder to shiny areas only - keeping that dewy finish it takes so long to perfect! ;-)

~ It's great for contouring the nose and temples too, great if you want to fake perfect bone structure! Many contouring brushes are too large for the smaller areas of your face like these, but this one is perfect and works just as well with the paler, highlighting shades too.

~ Last but not least, it's great for blending eye makeup too. If you've created too harsh a line, then use this brush either clean and dry or with a matte shade similar to your skintone and buff lightly back and forth over the line until it appears softer and more diffused. It may be a little large for some eyes though, so I suggest checking it out in person before buying or go for the safer option - the similar shaped, but smaller #224.

Overall, although I bought it for a bit of a silly reason - I'm glad I did! :-)It has become quite useful in my brush collection, but I wouldn't really recommend buying for the eyes only - it's a little on the large side. But for contouring or apply powder to smaller, harder to reach areas of the face it works extremely well.I'm sure there are other brushes out there that could do it's job though, so I won't say it's a must have....